Coming Home — Aziz Hazara brings a new commission to SculptureCenter in Queens. The exhibition focuses on a body of recovered material sourced from Bagram Airfield, the former hub of international military operations in Afghanistan. By transporting these discarded goods back to the nation that deployed them, Hazara creates a physical record of the infrastructure and everyday life that defined two decades of foreign presence.

The installation fills the gallery with a wide array of postwar material archaeology, ranging from personal items to heavy industrial waste. Visitors encounter piles of old uniforms, outdated electronics, and exercise equipment alongside fragments of the base's structural hardware. Each object serves as a trace of the logistical machine required to maintain a long-term military occupation and the environmental legacy left behind after its conclusion.

What makes this presentation distinct is Hazara's focus on the afterlife of military commodities rather than the direct imagery of conflict. By recontextualizing these leftovers in a contemporary art setting, the exhibition prompts a reflection on the permanence of material waste compared to the shifting nature of geopolitical power. It is a sober, evidence-based look at the tangible remains of a historical period often discussed only in abstract terms.

A compelling and heavy exhibition for those interested in the intersections of contemporary installation, global politics, and the enduring footprint of material culture.

The show is materially dense, so plan for a slower pace to examine the details of the individual objects collected from the airfield.